Rates inched lower Friday as a sharp decline in stocks boosted mortgage-backed securities. In economic news, November Retail Sales rose 0.2%, below the consensus forecast of 0.3%. However, excluding the volatile auto component, sales increased 0.4%, well above expectations. Many investors believe the relatively strong numbers raise the likelihood of a rate increase by the Fed at its meeting next week. Separately, the November Producer Price Index (PPI) rose 0.3% and was 1.1% higher than one year ago. Core PPI, which excludes volatile food and energy components, also increased 0.3%, above forecast, and was a tame 0.5% higher year-over-year. No other key data will be released today.